Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 25, 2026

Fast Imaging Technique to Study Drop Impact Dynamics of Non-Newtonian Fluids
Published on: March 5, 2014
Experimental realization of an incompressible Newtonian fluid in two dimensions
Zhiyuan Qi1, Cheol Soo Park1, Matthew A Glaser1
1Department of Physics and the Soft Materials Research Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
Abstract:
The Brownian diffusion of micron-scale inclusions in freely suspended smectic-A liquid crystal films a few nanometers thick and several millimeters in diameter depends strongly on the air surrounding the film. Near atmospheric pressure, the three-dimensionally coupled film-gas system is well described by Hughes-Pailthorpe-White hydrodynamic theory but at lower pressure (p≲70 torr), the diffusion coefficient increases substantially, tending in high vacuum toward the two-dimensional limit where it is determined by film size. In the absence of air, the films are found to be a nearly ideal physical realization of a two-dimensional, incompressible Newtonian fluid.
More Related Videos
08:49Impacts of Free-falling Spheres on a Deep Liquid Pool with Altered Fluid and Impactor Surface Conditions
Published on: February 17, 2019
10:28Experimental Measurement of Settling Velocity of Spherical Particles in Unconfined and Confined Surfactant-based Shear Thinning Viscoelastic Fluids
Published on: January 3, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Newtonian Fluid: Problem Solving
A velocity gradient forms within the fluid when a Newtonian fluid is placed between two parallel plates, with...
Accelerating Fluids
The motion of the liquid within this infinitesimal cylinder is considered to obtain the pressure difference. Three vertical forces act on this liquid:
Pressure of Fluids
Pressure Variation in a Fluid at Rest
When measuring pressure at two different levels within the fluid, the difference in...
Navier–Stokes Equations
Fluid Pressure over Curved Plate of Constant Width